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Help:Editing

From TARDIS Index File, the free Doctor Who reference.

Tardis:Help

TARDIS Index File is a WikiWiki, which means that anyone can easily edit any unprotected article and have those changes posted immediately to that page.

Editing a Wiki page is very easy. Simply click on the "edit" tab at the top of a Wiki page. This will bring you to a page with a text box containing the editable text of that page. If you just want to experiment, please do so in the sandbox, not here or any other pages. You should write a short edit summary in the small field below the edit-box. You may use shorthand to describe your changes, this will be noted in the page's history. When you've finished, press '"Show preview" to see how your changes will look. If you're happy with what you see, then press "Save" and your changes will be immediately applied to the article.

You can also click on the "Discussion" tab to see the corresponding talk page, which contains comments about the page from other TARDIS users. Click on the "+" tab to add a new section, or edit the page in the same way as an article page.


Contents

[edit] Tips on editing articles

  • Always use a neutral point of view, as the purpose of TARDIS Index File is to present information about Doctor Who, not to promote points of view about Doctor Who or any other subject or issue.
  • In-universe articles are always written from a past tense point of view.
  • Out-of-universe articles are also written from a past tense point of view, with the exception of people who are still alive.

[edit] Citing sources

Being regarded as a reliable source is crucial to the achievement of TARDIS Index File's purpose, and being able to provide verifiable outside source references will enhance the site's reputation in that regard.

  • Cite your sources so others can check and extend your work.
  • In-universe article sources ie TV/audio/novels/reference texts etc, should be placed after the work it is sourced from in brackets; ie (DW: An Unearthly Child).
  • Out-of-universe article sources should be cited via Footnotes, by placed <ref>&</ref> around the source and placing a ==Bibliography== or ==Footnotes== and below this <references/> which will create a list of the notes made throughout the article.
  • Articles which fall under the same category may require the same general information to be given repeatedly. An article on an individual may require what stories they appear in, while an article on a television story may require the names of the director and writer, or the original broadcast date. An image page will require information on its copyright status or source. Several templates have been developed for this purpose. Using them will save you a great deal of repetitive typing.

[edit] After major editing or creating a new page

  • After making a new page, it's a good idea to:
  • With your page displayed, use What links here to check the articles that already link to it, and make sure that they are all expecting the same meaning that you have supplied;
  • Use the Search button to search TARDIS Index File for your topic title (and possible variants), to find articles that mention it, and make links from them if appropriate.

[edit] Minor edits

When editing a page, a logged-in user can mark that edit as being "minor". Minor edits generally mean spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearrangement of text. It is possible to hide minor edits when viewing Recent Changes. Marking a significant change as a minor edit is considered bad behaviour, and even more so if it involves the deletion of some text. If one has accidentally marked an edit as minor, the person should edit the source once more, mark it major (or, rather, ensure that the check-box for "This is a minor edit" is not checked), and, in the summary, state that the previous change was a major one.

[edit] See also

Contents

You can edit any page where you can see an edit link. The changes that you make will show on the page as soon as you save.

In pictures

Click edit at the top of the page you want to edit.


An "edit box" will open, type your new sentences or corrections.
Please note: on newer wikis you may see the new editor.


Click Preview to check what you have written.


Click Save page to save your writing.


Video walkthrough


Editing

Ready to put your flavor on things? Learn how here!

Also check out our editing Tips and Tricks

For more videos please see our online demos page.

Some other editing tips

  • Explain your edit in the 'Summary' box between the edit window and the bottom row of grey buttons. By filling it the summary box, it allows you to tell members of your wiki community why you made a certain change to an article, making communication easier. You only need to type a short message here, for example 'added introduction'.
  • Use the 'Show preview' button to check your edit before saving. Remember to save your preview before moving on. The preview button gives you a chance to check your edit for formatting and typos before it's up on the wiki for all to see. It also spares you the grief of having to go back and make another change after saving an article.
  • If you are logged in, you can mark an edit as minor by checking the 'This is a minor edit' box. This lets other editors know your edit is very small.
  • Pages that start with 'User:' are personal pages. While it's considered impolite to make major edits to other people's user pages without permission, feel free to leave messages for people on their User_talk pages.
  • Always remember to sign your talk page comments with four tildes ( ~~~~). That way, the person you're writing to will know who sent him/her the message.

Formatting

Most text formatting is usually done with wiki markup, so you don't have to learn HTML.

See Help:Formatting and Help:HTML.

Links

Links are important on wikis to help readers navigate your site. The more your pages are linked to each other, the easier it is for readers to find what they're looking for.

See Help:Links, Help:External link and also Category:Link help on Wikia Help.

Wiki variables and templates

Use {{SITENAME}} to see the current Wikia. For instance, {{SITENAME}} on this site prints out as Wikia Help.

That and a few other templates are common to MediaWiki sites. For a complete list of these "magic words", see magic words on Meta.

You can create templates. After you create the page Template:XXX, using the command {{XXX}} will include that content in your current page. So, if you have something that needs to be included on many other pages, you might want to use a template.

Most templates available on the Central Wikia can be used on individual Wikia wikis with just "wikia:" prefixed to the name. See Help:Shared templates.

See also